The present invention relates to cushions, and in particular to modular cushions, including a cushioning material and/or envelopes filled with a pliable cushioning material and having surfaces supporting mating fastener material (e.g. “hook” and “loop”) to secure the cushion(s) to a fatigue or abrasion inducing surface, appliance or another cushion assembly in a suitable layered and/or arrayed configuration to define a preferred contour.
A wide variety of circumstances exist where personal comfort is enhanced with the placement of a cushioning material or device between the body and a contacting appliance. The cushioning can reduce fatigue at the points of contact and mitigate a wide variety of physical symptoms including skin ulcerations, nerve damage, including carpal tunnel syndrome, and bone and joint complications among other discomfiture.
Different types of cushions or padding are frequently used in the different cushioned apparatuses to reduce contact trauma that occurs when an item is in personal physical contact for extended periods of time. This contact can include but is not limited to contact associated with sitting, reclining, walking, standing, running, gripping, and/or wearing specific garments (e.g. helmets and hats, etc.).
Wide varieties of cushioning and comfort enhancing devices have been developed for wide ranging industries (e.g. automobile, airline, trucking, sporting, medical, office supply, and footwear, among others). Numerous constructions of comfort-enhancing apparatuses (e.g. seat and lumbar cushions, floor mats, wrist/arm rests, padded gloves, padded clothing, padded headwear, saddle pads, bicycle seats, care seat, etc.) have particularly been developed to alleviate physical discomfiture. Some of these assemblies include fastening devices such as straps, tape or the like to secure a cushion fixture but which limit dynamic attachment and reattachment to anchoring locations. Most of these assemblies don't permit adjustments to fit personal body characteristics and/or personal comfort desires peculiar to specific contact areas and ranges of motion at the contact points. Most adhesives also fail over time due to the collection of dirt. Mechanical fasteners and straps are also bulky and over time create additional deleterious contact points.
Due to inherent differences in size and stature of each user, a fixed comfort configuration does not work for the masses. It is therefore desired that any cushioning device accommodate personal tailoring adjustments to fit personal preference, body size etc. A dynamically reconfigurable cushioning assembly is particularly desired that mounts to any desired surface or appliance and that allows a user to change/modify the cushioning device by dynamically adding to and or removing from the cushioning device; cushioning material. The cushioning assembly should also permit reconfiguration in real time by a layperson without the use of special tools.
Existing assemblies also typically don't accommodate time variables, that is, what is comfortable at one point in time may become uncomfortable over extended usage. Therefore it is desirable that any comfort enhancing device permit dynamic adjustment over time to permit the removal and/or changing of the location and/or configuration of the cushioning apparatus based on personal desires, range of motion, duration of contact, etc.
The present comfort-enhancing apparatuses were developed to provide a hook and loop fastener interface at a personally defined attachment position that permits attachment of a cushioning or comfort-enhancing apparatus to any surface or appliance at any user contact position outfitted with a mating fastener interface. The fastener interface can comprise any interconnecting fastener mechanism, although a “hook” and “loop” attachment interface is the preferred attachment interface.
The preferred contact area, whether it is a wall, user support or personal appliance, should normally contain the loop interface of the hook and loop fastener apparatus. The “loop” interface material is gentler to touch and does not snag adjacent materials. The loop interface can comprise discrete or integral pieces or surfaces of loop-type fastener material or various open-weave materials.
Correspondingly, the hook fastener interface can be discretely mounted or integrally formed to a mating surface of the comfort-enhancing apparatus, substrate or an envelope apparatus that contains a suitable cushioning structure. The comfort-enhancing apparatus can thereby be secured alone or in combination to define a tailored, multi-dimensional assembly anywhere at a desired contact surface and/or about the abrading appliance. The comfort-enhancing portion of the assembly can include among other features, fiber padding, soft durometer rubbery materials, elastomers, foams, liquids, air, gels, semi-solid materials, alone, in pockets/envelopes or in various combinations and desired durometer.
A preferred fastener of material is a micro fiber, ultra thin, “hook” and “loop” fabric described at U.S. Pat. No. 7,231,789. This ultra thin, “snapping” fabric provides properties that are not available in the traditional “hook” and “loop” fastener materials. These properties include but are not limited to an ability to be attached directly to a cushioning device or a fabric material worn next to the body. The ultra thin material also has the property that it can be integrated with wicking materials to assist in the movement of perspiration away from the body while allowing air to flow across and through the cushioning envelopes.